Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-02-10
A sEeeAR's MOCK COUGH.
Il Became a Reality and Killed It
Fraudulent Possessor.

Il Became q Reality and Killed Its
Fraudulent Possessor.
William Breed was one of those geniuses
who expend more mental energy and inven-
ton in making a few cents than should be
REQUIRED to make q competency in the or
binary business ways He was a profess
sional beggar. The whole city was his
stamping ground He worked the streets,
private houses, stores and Offices. His VIC
tins were sympathetic ladies, ministers,
merchants and brokers, and at last himself.
Too lazy to labor, he spent vast amount
of time in picking up scanty livelihood in
a way much more painful than hod carry
ing or stone breaking would have been.
Nature had not given him q stalwart frame,
and he took advantage of the fact by feign-
ing stoop, by drawing his shoulders to-
gether as much as possible, SO as to give the
appearance of having a wasted, narrow
chest, and then placing his hand feebly over
his mouth, he coughed in an exaggerated,
hacking style until he had attracted the
proper attention from bis intended victim
In the event that the victim failed to take
the cue, Breed was accustomed to make
bold and explain himself.
He was ''in the last stages of consumE-
tion,'' unable 20 work and wishing sir
to end his days in as little distress es posi-
bic. His funds were entirely exhausted
long ago in fruitlees eadeavors to stay his
maladv; he had employed the best physi-
clans, taken all sorts Of remedies, spent win
ters and years in Florida, California and
elsewhere in vain He had returned to his
old home, New York, expecting TO find rela-
tiveS to provide for his declining days, but
they, alasl had died or gone away, and he
was alone and friendleSs in the city. All
this. with plentiful interjection Of cough
ing, rarely failed to bring him some fnan-
cial return if the victim permitted him to
20 so far as to finish his Story. But it
took good deal of industry to find each
day one or two gullible enough to listen to
him, and hundred times he coughed and
rasped his throat for nothing to once for
profit.
One day Breed felt great shiver OF
dread Insensibly his coughing had be-
come second nature to him; he felt his
throat tickle and his chest burn even when
he was not approaching dupe. A cold per
spiration started from every unwashed pore.
Could it be possible that he was really in
consumption Under the alarming stimu-
lus of his discovery he pursued his vocation
with increased Esal. He coughed more
than before, even coughing softly to himself
to test the effect upon his throat. In Q
short time he became convinced that he did
indeed have consumption, and it frightened
him nearly to death at once He dared not
devote his scanty savings to medical relief,
and in his miserly distress he worked night
and day with his coughing in order 70 gain
all the money possible while his strength
lasted Pursuing thus his unhappy trade,
irritating his bronchial organs and quaking
before the grim shadow of a terrible disease,
he at last drifted into actual consumption
and eventually to Bellevue, where he ter
minated bis strange ecareer.-New York Let
far